Eagles Fall In Ot

'skins Routed Giants Win 16-10 On Interception Td

September 30, 1985|by COULT AUBREY, The Morning Call

The defense kept the Philadelphia Eagles in their return matchup with the New York Giants by making one critical play after another yesterday afternoon, but again the offense lost it . . . this time in overtime.

Elvis Patterson's 29-yard interception return 55 seconds into the extra period lifted the New York Giants to a gruelling 16-10 victory, but the ineffectiveness of the offense allowed the game to go that far. Not only did Paul McFadden miss a 42-yard field goal that conceivably would have won it with 32 seconds to play in regulation, but the Eagles averaged better running the football than passing.

When that happens, as it did yesterday when they averaged 3.5 yards on 33 rushing attempts but only 1.9 yards on nine pass completions, they're in big trouble.

And the defense, as tough a unit as there is in the National Football League, suffers.

"They didn't deserve that ending," Coach Marion Campbell said of his players. "It's a darned shame because they played very well. This game will hurt us because we're getting close to being a good young football team."

The Eagle defenders forced two fumbles, one down at their goal line, to keep the offense within range, then produced the tying touchdown with only 3 minutes and 2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, when defeat appeared imminent.

Reggie White, the new defensive end from the United States Football League who had three sacks for 25 yards in losses in a sensational Philadelphia debut, powered through two offensive linemen to hit Phil Simms' arm as he was trying to pass from the end zone and Herman Edwards grabbed the "popup" at the 3 and stepped into the end zone as the 66,696 Veterans Stadium fans went wild. McFadden's kick after a high snap from center tied the score at 10-10.

"I was just trying to pressure him and got a good shot at his arm," White said. "I was just glad somebody was there to catch the ball."

A poor 23-yard punt by Sean Landeta, who earlier had kicks of 56 and 57 yards, gave the Eagles their chance at victory in regulation at the Giants' 41, but Campbell chose to play for the field goal only to have McFadden miss by a foot to the left.

"I think he might have rushed it a little bit," said Ron Jaworski, who directed the offense in the final quarter and overtime in place of Randall Cunningham, who injured an ankle in scrambling for five yards. "He pulled it just outside the pipe."

"The snap was good and the hold was good," McFadden said. "I just hooked it, and I don't usually do that."

The Eagles won the toss and got the ball to start the overtime, but a great hit by Larry Flowers stopped Herman Hunter at the Philadelphia 18, and two plays later the Eagles had their third loss in four games.

Jaworski's second-down pass to Mike Quick was a little high and wide and skipped off Quick's fingers into the waiting arms of Patterson. He ran down the left sideline behind a cordon of blockers for the winning touchdown.

Edwards, who likened his interception to a punt - "I didn't think it was ever to come down and was afraid somebody was going to hit me"

"It's a tough way to lose, but I've been around long enough to know we'll grow from this game," he said. "We're down now, but we'll put in the back of our minds and not worry."

Until the weird ending, it was a tough defensive battle.

"I've been in 11 of these Eagles-Giants games, and that was as tough as any I've seen," Giants Coach Bill Parcells said. "We were fortunate to win, but I'd have been disappointed if we had lost. We were in a position to get a lot of points and didn't."

Attribute that to the relentless Philadelphia defense. The Giants got down to the Eagle 2 on a 28-yard scramble by Simms early in the first quarter only to have rookie George Adams fumble the ball to Ray Ellis at the 3.

In the next period free safety Wes Hopkins knocked the ball away from Simms and Greg Brown recovered at the New York 33, but a sack by Jerome Sally, the third of five by the Giants in the space of three series, even denied the Eagles a shot at a field goal.

The Eagles broke the scoreless deadlock on their first possession of the second half when McFadden hit a 41-yard field goal. Earnest Jackson ran seven times for 26 yards and Cunningham completed two passesto Bethlehem tight end John Spagnola for another 26. A fine defensive play by Perry Williams broke up an apparent touchdown pass to Quick in the right corner of the end zone.

The Giants got those points back quickly with Simms hitting two passes for 38 yards and running for another six to the Philadelphia 31. Jess Atkinson then kicked a field goal from the 39.

Then New York drove for its only touchdown against the Eagle defense, marching 61 yards in only four plays. Simms hit fullback Rob Carpenter for 13 and Lionel Manuel for 19 before looking left and firing down the middle to tight end Mark Bavaro for the 26-yard TD.

That's the way it stood until a 51-yard punt by Mike Horan pushed the Giants back to their 4 with 3:58 to play and the defense, led by White, created the interception that Edwards turned into the tying touchdown.

"Anything can happen in a football game if you stick in there," Edwards said. "We (defense) made some good plays and they scored only one touchdown against us.

"But you can never think you have a game won until it's won. That's one of the things you learn in this business."

Yesterday the Eagles learned it in defeat, a very difficult defeat. The defense deserved to leave the field as winners.